Stage Write

Monument Theatre Company’s new production, Smart People, encapsulates the group’s mission to deliver socially relevant theatre. A group of four people watches as their racial divides rise to the surface when their paths cross. Each character lives within the bounds of their specific worldview and their assumptions cause conflict and misunderstanding in every interaction. Jackson is a surgeon played by Jamaal McCray with a balance of righteous indignation and charm. He has a tendency to self-sabotage his own career when his frustrations get the better of him. Maverick Schmit’s neuro-psychiatrist Brian treats condescension like an art form. It drips from his voice in every self-satisfied lecture. He is a liberal who is so proud of his progressive views that he can’t see his own flaws. Kim Egan, fresh off her turn as Hermia in last week's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Indy Shakes, is Ginny Yang, a brilliant psychologist whose patients are struggling with identit...

In 2001 an unarmed black man was killed by a Cincinnati police officer. A peaceful protest turned dangerous in the following days as the city erupted into riots. If that sounds a bit too familiar to you, you aren’t alone. The subject matter is achingly relevant. In the midst of the chaos, a small family hunkers down in their home above their dry-cleaning business. When the son, Felix, returns home with a drunk white man in tow the tension boils over. The dialogue between the mother and her twin children feels real and quickly pulls you into their comfortable family dynamic. There were quite a few stumbles over lines in this production, which can take you out of the flow of the play, but it wasn’t too distracting. It’s only worth noting because, unlike live theatre performances, a recorded production will not change from night to night.  Truths are revealed as the riots rage on and important issues are addressed. Hearing about the black experience, the unavoidable hurdles they fac...